About

The Philly Calendar is your independent source for offbeat, under-publicized, and free events and things to do around Philadelphia.

We started in 2013 in Boston with the simple goal of building a better events calendar, one tailored to the needs of young, cost-conscious residents who value experiences over possessions. Three years and thousands of listings later, The Boston Calendar has helped millions of users upgrade their “Netflix and chill” nights, and helped hundreds of creators and artists reach a new audience for their events.

In our first expansion to a new city, we’re proud to launch The Philly Calendar. So why Philly? In this city we recognize the same restless spirit, a young population eager to explore the city but sensing that there’s more to do and more to see out there. Also our content manager has spent a lot of time here visiting his girlfriend over the past three years, so we’re not total outsiders.

So what sets The Philly Calendar apart from other event listing sites?

Our content. Every listing on the site is created by a Real Life Human Person. Unlike other calendars that use algorithms to scrape the web for content, every single event on TPC is personally added by our users, ensuring accurate information and a selection of events that’s both curated and crowd-sourced. You’ll find can’t-miss mainstream events like the Picasso show at the Barnes alongside quirky stuff like ‘90s TV tribute nights, without the hassle of sifting through tons of lame events you don’t want to see.

Our design. Easy to look at, easy to use, and uncluttered by advertising and promoted listings. Events are always listed chronologically by start time, with one-time events coming first, followed by ongoing stuff like museum exhibits and theater shows. Everything’s on one page, so there’s no need to keep clicking or scrolling to see every listing. Pick a date or dates, zoom around the map to find stuff in your neighborhood, and easily share links or add events to your iCal or Google calendar.

Our users. The real engine that powers our calendar. TPC provides a platform for every event host who’s felt ignored or underserved by other event discovery sites. It’s 100% free to create listings, and it’s so easy: Create an account, add an event, and your listing goes live on the site immediately. Share the link with friends (“Check it out, we’re on The Philly Cal! It’s legit and not just a lame Facebook event!”) or just wait for our event-hungry audience to see it and show up. Whether you’re showing your art in a gallery or playing a show with your band, nothing is too small or too weird -- and it’ll get the same listing and placement as mainstream events at the biggest venues.

Our spirit. We’re a startup, we’re independent from the city and any cultural institutions, and we like to have fun. That’s the point of finding fun stuff to do, right? To have fun doing stuff? Think of us like a cool friend who always knows what’s going on in the city and sends funny emails inviting you out.

We hope that you won’t leave home without checking us first. Unless you’re just going to work. In that case, check us out when you're bored at work to figure out what you’re doing when you’re at not-work.